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Tag: Kindle Fire

  • Amazon Reports Big Increase In Black Friday Sales Of Its Devices

    Amazon Reports Big Increase In Black Friday Sales Of Its Devices

    This year was a lot better than last year when it comes to Black Friday sales of Amazon’s tablets and e-readers, according to the company.

    Amazon said Black Friday sales of Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets on Amazon.com grew “significantly” year over year. Fire tablet sales on the site were up over 3x year over year on Friday, while Kindle e-reader sales on Black Friday grew nearly 4x.

    The company didn’t provide exact figures, nor did it mention sales of its Fire TV, Fire Stick, or Fire Phone devices.

    “This holiday there are going to be a lot of customers opening up new Amazon devices,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices. “We’re energized by the year over year growth of tablet and e-reader Black Friday sales on Amazon.com, plus the success of the new product categories we’ve launched this year.”

    In September, Amazon unveiled its latest lines of tablets and e-readers, including the Kindle Voyage, a new $79 Kindle, a new Fire HD tablet, the Fire HDX, and the Fire HD Kids Edition.

    Amazon is running a Cyber Monday deal today for its Fire TV device at $69, which puts it at a 30% discount. Of course this is still twice as much as its Fire Stick streaming device, which is more of a direct competitor to Google’s $35 Chromecast.

    Image via Amazon

  • Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, Kindle Voyage, Kindle For Kids, Kindle With More Storage: Ready For October Release

    Amazon is unleashing a litany of new and improved models of its Kindle tablet and e-reader line. For those interested in some pre-Black Friday holiday deals, the models are set to go on sale in October.

    “Are phablets killing tablets?” wrote Anna Attkisson of Tom’s Guide, “Amazon is definitely not jumping on that bandwagon.” The amount of updates corresponds with a new Fire OS (4.0), which lets families share across accounts. Attkisson further outlined the differences in the products: Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 ($379) is the most advanced, while the Kindle Fire HD 6, HD 7 ($99) is for those looking for a deal. Meanwhile, Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition ($149) brings the Kindle to the kid family side of things, and it comes with free replacement for two years.

    Amazon will also throw in a year of FreeTime Unlimited with the Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition. Adults will probably want to look into the adult version of Unlimited for themselves, which has its own monthly fee:

    According to the L.A. Times, Amazon is also updating their generic Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite for lower cost and more storage. They are also releasing a Kindle Voyage, which is designed for the book lover in mind, who also likes 3G cellular connectivity.

    When it comes to the fanciest item for the lowest cost, the Kindle Fire HD is probably your best bet. As Business Insider put it, “If $99 feels dirt-cheap for this tablet, it’s because it is.”

    “We make money when customers use these devices, not when they buy them,” an Amazon representative told them, “We sell at break-even prices.”

    But when it comes to power no matter the cost, Amazon is pretty proud of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. “The team has packed an incredible amount of technology and innovation into the new Fire HDX-an incredible HDX display,” Amazon’s chief executive Jeff Bezos told MVC, “A powerful quad-core processor, a 70% faster graphics engine, exceptional audio, and faster Wi-Fi-and it’s still startlingly light. Fire HDX combines excellent hardware with exclusive features from Fire OS4 including Firefly, the Mayday button, Family Library, ASAP and more.”

  • Amazon Announces A Bunch Of New Kindle Devices

    Amazon Announces A Bunch Of New Kindle Devices

    Amazon made a whole bunch of Kindle-related announcements late on Wednesday, including some new devices and a new OS.

    New Kindles

    First off, Amazon unveiled its seventh-generation Kindle, the Kindle Voyage. Amazon calls this its “most advanced Kindle ever”. Well, I would hope so. “Not as advanced as the last one” doesn’t sound nearly as appealing. The display is brighter, has higher resolution, and higher contrast. It also has “reimagined” page turns. It costs $199.

    The company says, “Kindle Voyage features an all-new design, with a beautiful flush glass front and a magnesium back, so it is strong, thin, and light. At just 7.6 mm thin and weighing less than 6.4 ounces, Kindle Voyage is the thinnest device we’ve ever built, making it even easier to hold with one hand and read for hours.”

    It has an adaptive, smarter front light, which is 39% brighter, and is available with free 3G. There’s also a new oragami-style cover design.

    The company also unveiled a new $79 Kindle, which includes a 20% faster processor, twice the storage of its predecessor, and a new touch interface.

    Both devices are now available for pre-order.

    The new Kindle family consists of the Kindle, the previously announced Kindle Paperwhite, and the Kindle Voyage. But that’s not including the Kindle Fire line, which brings us to the next announcements.

    New Fires

    Amazon also announced it’s most powerful tablet to date, the new Fire HD, apparently dropping the “Kindle” from the branding. It features a quad-core processor, front and rear-facing cameras, an HD display, and five color choices. It also comes in two sizes – 6” for $99 and 7” for $139.

    CEO Jeff Bezos says the device is the “most powerful tablet under $100.”

    Here’s the feature rundown from the announcement:

    High-definition display—Crisp and vivid with over 1 million pixels (252 ppi for 6”, 216 ppi for 7”), now brighter than the previous generation Kindle Fire HD, with vibrant colors and whiter whites.

    Ultrafast quad-core processor—Running at up to 1.5 GHz, the quad-core processor has 3x the graphics performance of the Samsung Tab 4—Fire HD can run even the most graphically intensive games.

    Front and rear-facing cameras—Video chat with friends and family with the front facing camera; take photos or capture videos in 1080

    Pocketable design—Small and portable so it fits in a pocket or purse and is easy to hold with one hand.

    Incredible reliability—With a Gorilla Glass display and a design that is engineered for best-in-class reliability, you don’t have to worry about Fire HD breaking. Many other tablets cut corners on reliability—in lab testing they are anywhere from 2x to 20x more likely than Fire HD to break if dropped. Even the iPad mini is 2x more likely to break.

    Five fun colors—Fire HD is available in black, white, cobalt, magenta, and citron.

    Profiles give everyone a personalized experience—With Profiles, each family member gets their own profile, including individual email, Facebook and Twitter accounts, page in the book, spot in a movie, and game levels.

    Family Library—Never again worry about whose account has the Prime membership or who bought that book you want to read. Family Library links your Amazon account to that of your spouse or partner so you can easily share apps, games, audiobooks, books, and Prime Instant Video content within your household without changing accounts. Family Library lets families share their content while using a single Fire tablet with different profiles, or also across multiple devices, including Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire phone, and Amazon Fire TV, as well as on all of the other most popular devices and platforms with the free Kindle, Audible, and Amazon Instant Video apps. Family Library will be coming soon as part of a free, over-the-air software update.

    ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction)—Customers loved it on Amazon Fire TV, so now available on tablets by popular demand, ASAP predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and prepares them for instant playback before you even hit play, so they start instantly.

    Amazon-exclusive features—X-Ray, Second Screen, Amazon FreeTime, Prime Instant Video Downloads, and more.
    Dolby Digital Plus Audio—The standard in high-end audio. Fire HD delivers crisp and clear sound without distortion.
    All-day battery life—Delivers up to 8 hours of reading, listening to music, watching video, and browsing the web.

    Stay connected and productive—Fast web browsing, email and calendar support, plus a new pre-loaded WPS Office app lets you create, edit, and view Office documents.

    World’s best content ecosystem—Over 33 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, magazines, and Android apps and games—including Facebook, Netflix, iHeartRadio, Twitter, Angry Birds Stella, Minecraft: Pocket Edition, and more—with free, unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content.

    There are also new accessories for the device, including a new protective cover and a series of adapters.

    Then there’s the Fire HDX, which is powered by a quad-core 2.5 GHz processor and a 70% faster graphics engine. The display features Dynamic Light Control which automatically adjusts the color. It’s also the first tablet with Dolby Atmos audio.

    Here’s the feature rundown on this one:

    Powerful 2.5 GHz processor with a 70% faster graphics engine for exceptional speed and fluidity, especially for graphically-intensive games.

    Exclusive HDX display with incredible pixel density (339 ppi) and perfect 100% sRGB color accuracy—now with Dynamic Light Control, which makes the pages of a book more closely resemble a real piece of paper in different lighting conditions.

    Startlingly light design—20% lighter than iPad Air.

    Exclusive new audio—twice as loud as iPad Air, with crisp, clear sound and no distortion; plus Fire HDX is the first tablet with Dolby Atmos.

    Fastest Wi-Fi, with support for 802.11ac MIMO which delivers up to 4x the peak bandwidth.

    Available with ultrafast 4G LTE wireless.

    New Fire Keyboard is the thinnest and lightest full-featured tablet keyboard, with a trackpad to make productivity and navigation easier than ever.

    Powered by the latest version of Fire OS—Fire OS 4 “Sangria”—with hundreds of new and upgraded features, platform updates, and Amazon-exclusive services.

    Family Library lets all members of your household access your apps, games, audiobooks, books, and Prime Instant Video content, even if they use a different Amazon account.

    Free, unlimited cloud storage for photos taken with new Fire tablets, automatically backed-up wirelessly.

    Front-facing HD camera makes it easy to stay in touch with Skype; 8MP rear-facing camera allows for high-resolution photos and 1080p HD video, and includes an LED flash, Electronic Image Stabilization, and a wide-aperture f/2.2 lens. The Camera application also allows customers to capture panoramas, lenticulars, and HDR recommended shots, and the film strip gives access to recent photos and videos, along with the ability to view, edit, share, and delete right from the camera.

    Firefly lets you quickly identify printed web and email addresses, phone numbers, QR and bar codes, plus over 100 million items, including movies, TV episodes, songs, and products.

    ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you even hit play, so videos start instantly.

    The Mayday button delivers revolutionary live tech support—one touch connects you to an Amazon expert who can guide you remotely through any feature—24×7, 365 days a year, and it’s free. Nearly 75% of Fire HDX and Fire phone customer questions now come via the Mayday button.

    Then there’s the Fire HD Kids Edition, which includes a two-year guarantee, so they’ll replace if if the kid breaks it. It also has a free year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, which gives kids access to 5,000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games.

    It has a quad-core processor, an HD display, front- and rear-facing cameras, Dolby Digital audio, and access to Amazon’s movies, TV shows, songs, books, and Android apps and games.

    It costs $149 for a 6” and $189 for a 7”.

    New Operating System

    Finally, Amazon introduced its new operating system – Fire OS 4 Sangria, which comes pre-loaded on the new Fire HD and Fire HDX tablets, and will be available as a free, over-the-air update for all 3rd generation Fire tablets.

    “When we think about Fire OS, we start with what matters to customers—ease of use and performance,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices. “Fire OS 4 improves in both of these areas, and deeply integrates software, content, and the Cloud to deliver services that are only available from Amazon, including Family Library, Firefly, and free cloud storage for photos.”

    It’s based on Android KitKat.

    Pre-orders are available for all the new devices.

    Images via Amazon

  • Amazon Appstore Now Has Over 240K Apps

    Amazon Appstore Now Has Over 240K Apps

    Amazon announced that its Amazon Appstore selection of apps has nearly tripled year-over-year, and that it now has over 240,000 apps and games, which are available in about 200 countries. This seems like something the company might want to play up as it prepares to unveil a new smartphone, which it is expected to do this week.

    Last year, Amazon launched Amazon Coins, its virtual currency for Appstore apps. It’s become “widely popular,” according to the company, with customers having spent hundreds of millions of the coins on apps, games, and in-app items.

    Amazon is playing up its ecosystem for developers ahead of its event. It shares some quotes from a few of them:

    “Amazon users are very high quality users. User engagement with edjing on Amazon is higher than on any other platform. In proportion, Amazon users spend more time in edjing than any other platform. In addition, the Average Revenue Per Download (ARPD) on Amazon is actually higher than on Android.” —Jean-Baptiste, CEO, DJiT

    “Getting our app on Kindle Fire was very easy and it gives developers a great opportunity to distribute and monetize their apps. Monetization in the Amazon Appstore jumped 100% using Amazon’s In-App Purchasing API and Mobile Ads API in the first month since implementation.” —Daniele Calabrese, CEO, Soundtracker

    “We already develop for Android, so getting our games on the Amazon Appstore was a real breeze.” —Paul Case, TribePlay, developer of Dr. Panda.

    “Developers tell us that they experience improved reach, greater monetization, and, oftentimes, higher revenue when they have their apps and games in the Amazon Appstore,” said Mike George, VP of Amazon Appstore and Games. “But this is just the beginning—we’re building more services and capabilities for developers and more Android-based APIs based on their feedback. Most Android apps just work on Kindle Fire, and with an Appstore made for Android devices, Amazon’s Appstore can help developers distribute their apps on Android devices all over the world. It’s a great time for developers to bring their apps to the Amazon Appstore.”

    65% of developers, Amazon says, say that total revenue on Kindle Fire is the same or better than their experience with other platforms. 74% of them said average revenue per app/user is the same or better on Kindle Fire than other platforms. 76% said the Kindle Fire platform helps them connect with new market segments. These stats come from an Amazon-commissioned IDC survey.

    Amazon’s event is set for June 18th.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Coins Now Available On Android Devices

    Last year, Amazon got into the digital currency game with Amazon Coins. Exclusive to Kindle devices, Amazon Coins were an easy way for consumers to buy apps and games on the Amazon Appstore. Now the digital currency is making its way to all Android devices.

    Amazon announced this morning that Amazon Coins are now available to all Android device users in the US, UK and Germany. That means those who use the Amazon Appstore for Android can now buy apps and games using Amazon’s own digital currency instead of real money.

    “Since the launch of Amazon Coins, we’ve been amazed by the number of customers using Coins, as well as how many Coins they’re spending on apps and games,” said Mike George, Vice President, Amazon Appstore and Games. “Because customers can earn Coins when they buy apps in Amazon’s Appstore, and because they can buy Coins themselves at up to a 10% discount, customers love the extra value they get when shopping in our Appstore.”

    Developers need not be concerned by the introduction of Amazon Coins on Android. They will still get the usual 70 percent cut that they would get if the consumer bought their app with real money. In fact, Amazon feels the addition of Amazon Coins to Android will attract more developers to their platform which means more developers making content for its Kindle ecosystem.

    If you want to learn more about Amazon Coins and how it can benefit you as a developer, check out this blog post.

    Image via Amazon

  • Nexus Tablet: In the News This Holiday Season

    Google seems to be constantly making the news with its Nexus tablet.

    The most recent rumblings involve the Nexus 10 2, the newest version of its 10-inch tablet. Rumor has it that the Nexus 10 2 may launch ahead of CES 2014.

    CES is an annual international consumer electronics and technology trade show, the self-described “global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.” This year’s event takes place January 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    But the technology world is abuzz with rumors that the Nexus 10 2 may actually hit the market after New Year’s Eve.

    Earlier this month, Google made the news when it unveiled a white version of its 7-inch Nexus tablet:

    Google is marketing the Nexus as a perfect holiday gift, putting the tablet up against what are possibly its two biggest competitors: Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX and Apple’s new iPad Mini with Retina display.

    The verdict is out on which mini tablet tops the list.

    Some sources put the iPad Mini with Retina display last while others refer to it as the gold standard of mini tablets.

    Technology authority C-NET calls the iPad Mini with Retina Display “the best small tablet yet.”

    It calls the Nexus 7, however, “the best tablet value on the market” and the “best Android tablet.”

    Another industry authority is PC Magazine. In a comparison of the 10 best tablets, it gives the Nexus 7 an “Editor’s Choice” distinction.

    Google has been ratcheting up attention for the Nexus 7 on its own social networking site, Google+. It recently ran a giveaway encouraging users to compose still photos including their Nexus tablet and post them using the hashtag #whatmatters:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Amazon Really Wants You To Buy A Kindle Fire HDX, Will Let You Pay It Off In Installments

    Over the years, Amazon has used various deals and promotions to increase sales of its Kindle Fire tablet line. Those promotions seemingly work as the tablets remain the best-selling items on Amazon. Now the online retailer is trying a new method to get more Kindle Fires into the hands of even more customers.

    Amazon announced over the weekend a new payment plan that will let customers buy either a Kindle Fire HDX or Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ for a quarter of the price. After the initial down payment, customers will then pay back another quarter of the device’s price every ninety days.

    For example, the Kindle Fire HDX, which normally costs $229, can now be yours for only $57.25. After purchasing the tablet at this price, you’ll be automatically billed $57.25 every 90 days until the device is paid off in full. As for the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″, you’ll pay $94.75 upfront and then pay that same amount three more times over the course of the next 270 days.

    What’s interesting about this latest ploy is that everyone can take part. For these kind of deals, most retailers would want to apply interest or credit checks. Amazon is having none of that, however, as this is strictly a no strings attached kind of deal. The only thing you’ll have to look out for is that the payments will be automatically billed to your card every 90 days.

    That being said, you will want to read the fine print as there are some rules you’ll need to be aware of. For example, the above deal is only available until midnight on December 24. Amazon notes that you customers must use a credit card to make the initial down payment, but a debit card is fine for the remaining payments. You can also pay back the full remaining balance at any time, but the same can’t be said of the installments.

    If all of that sounds good to you, you can check out the promotion page here. If you’d rather pay for the entire device upfront, Amazon will most likely put the Kindle Fire HDX on sale one last time before Christmas.

    [h/t: Engadget]
    [Image: Amazon]

  • Kindle Fire Tablets See Record Sales on Amazon

    Amazon’s line of Kindle Fire tablets saw record-breaking sales over the weekend, as the second-generation Kindle Fire HD, and the third-generation Kindle Fire HDX 7″, were the two top-selling items this holiday season for the world’s largest online retailer.

    A report released by Amazon detailing the success of Kindle Fire tablets from Black Friday through Cyber Monday says that they saw the best sales numbers for Kindle tablets of all time. The site offered extra savings this year, with a $50-off rebate on Kindle Fire tablets. The price for an HD model was just $119 and the HDZ 7″ was reduced to the lowest-ever price of $179.

    The announcement from Amazon came yesterday just after the 2013 IBM Holiday Benchmark report was released, indicating that Black Friday’s 2013 sales had dropped to their lowest since 2009.

    Many retailers offered extra savings this year, as well as longer store hours, and had record-breaking sales numbers, despite the information that sales were the lowest in five years.

    Amazon Kindle Vice-President, Neil Lindsay, said, “We’re excited that so many customers have chosen Kindle this holiday season—and it’s just getting started! Our new Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers are the best we’ve ever built, and we can’t wait for customers to unwrap their gifts this holiday.”

    Main image courtesy @amazon via Twitter.

  • Amazon Appstore Celebrates Halloween With A Sale On 22 Apps

    Halloween has always seemed like one of the lesser holidays compared to the likes of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sure, it’s a fun time, but it just doesn’t really feel all that special. Apparently I’m in the minority as the Amazon Appstore has just put a lot of games on sale in celebration of the holiday.

    Amazon announced today that 22 games on the Amazon Appstore will be on sale through November 2. Not all of the games included in the sale are necessarily Halloween related, but most of them do have a connection with the spooks that populate the holiday.

    Here’s everything that’s on sale:

  • House of the Dead Overkill – $0.99
  • Magicians Handbook – $0.99
  • Nightmares From the Deep: The Cursed Heart – $0.99
  • Lost Souls – $0.99
  • NBA 2K14 – $4.99
  • Breach & Clear – $0.99
  • Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Dark Parables: Curse of the Briar Rose Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Depths of Betrayal Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Grave Mania: Undead Fever – $0.99
  • Haunted Manor: Lord of Mirrors Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Hidden Expedition 4: Devil’s Triangle – $0.99
  • Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate – $0.99
  • Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst – $0.99
  • PuppetShow: The Mystery of Joyville – $0.99
  • Redemption Cemetery: Curse of the Raven Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Shattered Minds: Masquerade Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Shiver: Poltergeist Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker Collector’s Edition – $0.99
  • Small Town Terrors – Livingston – $0.99
  • Time Relics: Gears of Light – $0.99
  • Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts Collector’s Edition – $0.99

    • Like always, the Amazon Appstore also offers the Free App of the Day. Unlike the above sale, the app available for free today – Fish Jam – lacks the kind of spooks you would see around Halloween. The little cartoon shark does, however, possess some spooky charm what with his spooky teeth.

    While you’re at it, you may also want to check out the Amazon Appstore’s collection of zombie-themed games. ‘Tis the season after all.

    [Image: Amazon Appstore]

  • Amazon Appstore Is Giving Away 6 Apps For Free Today

    One of the best parts about the Amazon Appstore is its Free App of the Day program. Every day of the year, Amazon takes a popular app that regularly costs anywhere from $.99 to $5 and offers it for free to anybody with a Kindle Fire or Android device. Now Amazon is upping the ante for a special promotion today.

    As part of its Free App of the Day program, Amazon has decided to make six apps completely free. These apps, called “Kindle Hits,” presumably represent what Amazon sees as the best performing Kindle apps of the past year.

    Here are the free games included as part of the promotion:

  • Angry Birds Star Wars Premium HD
  • Splashtop Whiteboard
  • Diner Dash Deluxe
  • Fishdom Premium
  • Toca Builders
  • The Room

    • All of the above apps are free for the remainder of today. If that’s not a good enough deal, Amazon will be sweetening it with the addition of 20 free Amazon Coins for each of the above apps that you download. These coins can be used in place of money on in-app purchases within any Amazon Appstore game.

    Oh, and besides the above free apps, the Amazon Appstore is also offering Autodesk Sketchbook Mobile as part of its regular Free App of the Day promotion. Unlike the above apps, this isn’t a game, but rather an app similar to Adobe Illustrator. You can use your Android device to draw whatever you like and even import it to your PC through a convenient email feature.

    [Image: Amazon Appstore]

  • Amazon’s Fire OS 3.0 ‘Mojito’ Comes With A Ton Of New Features, Major ‘Mayday’ Customer Support Feature

    Amazon has unveiled version 3.0 of its Android-based Fire OS, named “Mojito.” The announcement comes with that of Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD & Kindle Fire HDX tablets.

    New Amazon Tablets

    The OS starts with Android, but adds a number of its own features. It does include native Android app compatibility, so apps that work on Android should work on Fire OS with “little to no work”. It also supports HTML5 apps.

    It includes GameCircle and Whispersync for Games so users can sync their game progress across devices. It also includes In-App Purchasing and Mobile Associates so users can buy digital and physical items using their Amazon accounts.

    “Amazon Device Messaging gives customers a single messaging platform for all their apps built on Amazon Web Services, which developers can take advantage of to send notifications to Kindle Fire tablets,” Amazon says. “Amazon Coins offers every new Kindle Fire customer 500 coins ($5) of virtual currency to use for purchasing apps, games, or in-app items on Kindle Fire. Amazon Coins is an easy way for customers to spend money on developers’ apps and offers another opportunity to drive traffic and app downloads increasing monetization even further.”

    The new OS includes some accessibility tools like Screen Reader, Explore by Touch and Screen Magnifier, which can be enabled across most of its features.

    There are a number of cloud services and interface improvements that come with Mojito. The redesigned interface includes carousel and grid views, for example. Cloud Collections make apps, books, newspapers and magazines easier to find, according to Amazon. They’re automatically stored in the cloud, and Whispersync syncs them across devices and apps. There’s a 1-Tap Archive feature that identifies items that haven’t been used recently and lets you easily store them in the cloud to free up device space.

    The Kindle FreeTime feature lets parents whitelist movies, books, apps and games that are appropriate for their Kids, and there’s a new “For Kids” suggestion feature.

    There is OS-level sharing with Facebook and Twitter. Goodreads is built into the reading experience, and X-Ray for Movies and TV now shows the names of TV theme and movie soundtrack songs as they play. It also shows trivia and “goofs” while watching a movie or show (powered by IMDb). X-Ray has also expanded for music with synced lyrics. The Second Screen feature lets users “fling” content from their device to their TV.

    “Quiet Time, directly accessed from the quick settings menu, lets you mute all incoming notifications or calendar reminders. In addition, Quiet Time can be tied to a particular activity such as reading,” Amazon says. “Quick Switch uses a global swipe gesture from anywhere in the system to go between multiple apps, and unlike standard Android, works with individual content items like different textbooks without navigating home.”

    Amazon has made improvements to the download manager so that it adjusts the number of simultaneous downloads per devices to not impact performance. It also pauses downloads when you go to watch Amazon videos so it doesn’t affect video quality.

    Amazon has replaced the standard Android graphics with its own Graphics Direct Texture system designed to load higher-res images quickly. As a result things like the Carousel and media libraries can quickly and smoothly load large, detailed images.

    Mojito has also improved touch responsiveness, and Reading Mode has been optimized to give users 17 hours of battery life when reading.

    Amazon is really looking to break further into the enterprise with Mojito and the new devices. Here’s the feature list the company is touting as making the new tablets enterprise-ready:

    • Wi-Fi networks with WPA2 support for secure access to corporate apps, documents and resources like SharePoint.
    • Email that makes it even easier for business customers to set up their accounts, group conversations by subject, sync their email and more.
    • Print documents and emails directly from Kindle Fire to a wireless printer.
    • Built-in OfficeSuite to read documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
    • Native VPN client, for instant access to corporate networks while on the road or at home.
    • Secure hardware data encryption on Kindle Fire HDX.
    • Kerberos authentication for single sign-on and the ability to browse secure Intranet websites from the Silk browser on Kindle Fire.
    • Native SCEP (Simple Certificate Exchange Protocol) client to retrieve digital certificates for secure resources.
    • Kindle-specific device management APIs that integrate with existing mobile device management (MDM) systems to make it easy for IT departments to manage Kindle Fire. Kindle Fire supports a wide range of MDM solutions including Amazon’s Whispercast service as well as third-party vendors like AirWatch, Citrix, Fiberlink, Good Technology, and SOTI.

    “Kindle Fire is already the second most popular tablet at work in the U.S.,” said Raghu Murthi, Vice President of Enterprise and Education at Amazon. “As employees increasingly bring their own devices to work, the new Kindle Fire tablets can be easily integrated into the workplace with the new enterprise features, including encryption, secure Wi-Fi, a native VPN client, integration with leading MDM solutions, and Kerberos support for Intranet access.”

    There’s one feature of Mojito that Amazon is calling “revolutionary”. That would be the Mayday button. This provides user with free on-device 24×7 tech support. It’s built into the Quick Settings. It allows you to call upon an Amazon expert, who will appear on screen, and can help a user with any feature on the device, even by drawing on the screen.

    Mayday button

    If it’s as good as it sounds, this certainly takes customer service up a notch. Amazon says it has a response time “goal” of 15 seconds or less. You can see the advisor, but they can’t see you.

    Fire OS 3.0 is available only on the new Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HDX tablets, though some features will make their way to other devices in an update in November.

    Images: Amazon

  • Amazon Announces Kindle Fire HD Refresh, Ships October 2

    Last year, Amazon entered the HD tablet market with the Kindle Fire HD. It was a 7-inch tablet with a 1280×800 resolution, and some decent specs. Now that very same tablet is getting a refresh to become the cheap entry level tablet in Amazon’s Kindle Fire fleet.

    Amazon announced today that the newly refreshed Kindle Fire HD is now available for pre-order and will be launching on October 2. The new Kindle Fire HD is nearly identical to last year’s model. It’s a little slimmer, sports better audio, but doesn’t really do anything new beyond that.

    Well, there is one thing – the new Kindle Fire HD will retail for only $139. The original Kindle Fire went on sale for $199 two years ago, and now Amazon has managed to bring the price down of last year’s flagship tablet to an incredibly affordable $139. That price will get you a decent tablet outfitted with Amazon’s latest Android-based OS – Fire OS 3.0, or Mojito.

    “Two years ago, we revolutionized the tablet industry with the breakthrough $199 price point for tablets—now we’re doing it again with the $139 price point,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “$139 now gets you a 1280×800 216 ppi HD display, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, Fire OS 3.0, dual speakers with Dolby audio, vast selection and Amazon-exclusive features like Prime Instant Video downloads, Second Screen, Kindle FreeTime, X-Ray and more.”

    The Kindle Fire HD isn’t the most powerful tablet anymore, but it’s more than decent enough to serve a casual user’s everyday needs. At that price point, it’s almost hard to ignore too. That’s obviously what Amazon wants though as it uses the allure of low pricing to hook users into its ecosystem of digital sales.

    Now then, you may be scoffing at the Kindle Fire HD and want something with a little more kick. Well, that’s where the newly announced Kindle Fire HDX tablets come in. They pack the latest hardware, and will be shipping later this year.

    [Image: Amazon]

  • Amazon Announces Kindle Fire HDX, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″

    Just like every other consumer electronic device, the Kindle Fire HD was expected to get a refresh at some point this year. It was just that nobody expected Amazon to suddenly unveil them without any word of warning.

    Amazon suddenly announced three new Kindle Fire models yesterday evening – the new Kindle Fire HD, the Kindle Fire HDX and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″. The first is just last year’s Kindle Fire HD serving as a replacement for the entry level Kindle Fire, whereas the latter two is where the real magic is happening.

    As the rumors suggested, the Kindle Fire HDX sports a much higher resolution than the previous generation. The Kindle Fire HDX sports a resolution of 1920×1200 whereas the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ sports a resolution of 2560×1600.

    Besides the new resolutions, Amazon made sure that its tablets are packing best-in-class hardware. Both Kindle Fire HDX models sport a Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.2GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU. In other words, the Kindle Fire HDX will be one of most powerful tablets to be released this year.

    Rounding up the hardware specs, both Kindle Fire HDX tablets sport dual stereo speakers, a front-facing HD camera, an 8MP rear-facing camera and 2GB of RAM.

    The specs may be nice, but what about the software itself? Amazon say its latest tablets will be running Fire OS 3.0, or Mojito. It’s based on Jelly Bean, but Amazon isn’t saying which version. I’d put my money on Android 4.2, but a 4.3-based OS would be a nice surprise.

    So, what does Fire OS 3.0 bring to the table? For starters, there’s an improved interface that better integrates Amazon’s digital storefront with the tablet. That means X-Ray is expanding to include music, alongside its previous support of movies and TV shows. Now you can use X-Ray to see the lyrics of any particular song.

    X-Ray for movies and TV has been improved as well with X-Ray for music integration. Now you can see a list of songs that appear in any particular movie or episode of a TV show, and even jump to when that song is heard. Users can also be alerted to random trivia while watching a movie, or see detailed character backstories while watching a TV show.

    Amazon is also jumping onto the second screen experience with a new feature that lets users move content from their tablet to the TV. It’s very much like Google’s own Chromecast in that the user just simply “flings” the content to the TV and it immediately starts playing there while the tablet becomes a remote control. The new feature will only support Samsung TVs and the PlayStation 3 at first, but it will launch on the PS4 later this year.

    This is all well and good, but most of it is pretty much expected at this point. Does Amazon have any out of left field ideas to differentiate its tablets from the competition? It does, and it’s called Mayday. Here’s how Amazon describes it:

    Having trouble or want to learn how to use a new feature? Simply tap the Mayday button in Quick Settings, and an Amazon expert will appear on your Fire HDX and can co-pilot you through any feature by drawing on your screen, walking you through how to do something yourself, or doing it for you—whatever works best. 15 seconds or less is the Mayday response time goal. Mayday is available 24×7, 365 days a year, and it’s free.

    As you can probably guess, Mayday is a pretty big deal. Sure, other companies offer 24/7 tech support, but this is entirely new. Not only are you talking face-to-face with the tech support, but they can actually take control of your tablet to show you how something works. It’s an incredibly helpful feature, and one that I see only Amazon being able to do.

    If you find yourself suddenly interested in the new Kindle Fire HDX, you’ll be able to pick up the 7-inch model on October 18 for $229 whereas the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ goes on sale November 7 for $379. There will also be 4G versions available at a later date for $100 more.

    [Image: Business Wire]

  • Amazon Appstore Celebrates One Year In The EU With Free Apps

    One year ago today, the Amazon Appstore officially launched in the EU. It brought with it all the advantages of Amazon’s Android storefront, including the Free App of the Day, to European owners of Android and Kindle Fire devices. Now the company wants to give a little something back to all of its customers.

    Amazon announced today that some of the most popular apps on the Amazon Appstore will be going free today in celebration of the one year anniversary of the Appstore launching in Europe. The offer isn’t just exclusive to Europe either as any country that has access to the Amazon Appstore will be able to get the free apps.

    That means Amazon Appstore users in the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Japan will be able to download the following apps today for free:

  • Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals
  • Drawing Pad
  • Angry Birds (Ad-Free)
  • PAC-MAN HD (Kindle Tablet Edition)
  • World of Goo
  • Shazam Encore
  • SwiftKey
  • Calengoo
  • Sprinkle
  • Paper Camera

    • A lot of these apps and games have already been bought millions of times over the past few years, but it’s a good opportunity for those just joining the Android or Kindle Fire parties to get some excellent apps for free. Personally, I recommend Pac-Man HD, SwiftKey and Paper Camera. All are really cool apps that are almost impossible to pass up now that they’re free.

    Alongside the sale, Amazon is also running its usual Free App of the Day promotion. For today only, you can grab the excellent Cut the Rope for free. It’s playable on your Android and Kindle Fire devices.

    [Image: Amazon Appstore]

  • Kindle Fire Being Doused, Says Analyst

    For Amazon, the Kindle Fire has been a huge success in the 7-inch tablet category. For the past two years Amazon’s device has competed with the largest mobile industry players – Apple and Samsung. Now, with Amazon preparing to announce its updated Kindle Fire lineup, news has come that Amazon’s hold on the tablet market may be slipping.

    Analyst firm Jumptap this week released data showing that the Kindle Fire has lost 11.4% of its tablet market share over the past year. This is at the same time Samsung has begun to roll into the tablet market in a big way, with its Galaxy Tab devices rising 5.8% in tablet market share year-over-year.

    “Previously, the iOS vs. Android battle could not crown a standing victor for Android,” said Matt Duffy, VP of marketing at Jumptap. “Yet in the past year, we’ve seen Samsung rise above the pack in both tablet and smartphone share.”

    Jumptap’s new report also held other surprising (and some not-so-surprising) findings from the mobile world. The iPhone is still the world’s top smartphone, at the expense of HTC, Blackberry, and Apple’s own iPod Touch devices, though Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone lineup is gaining traction. Also, apps are now a larger part of the mobile experience than ever before. Jumptap estimates that 84% of mobile traffic is now from apps, up from just 50% two years ago.

    (Image courtesy Amazon)

  • This Year’s Tablet War Will Begin in September

    As shown by nearly every analyst’s estimates, tablet shipments slowed during the second quarter of 2013. It turns out, though, that this past quarter was the calm before the storm, with this September slated to be, quite possibly, the biggest month in tablet computing history.

    Google has already launched the refresh of its Nexus 7 tablet, getting out ahead of the competition. According to a DigiTimes report, Amazon is also readying a new lineup of Kindle Fire tablets, to be released in September. The report’s unnamed sources “from the upstream supply chain” also predict that Intel and Google will wade even further into the tablet market with new tablets and “2-in-1 devices.” Intel has scheduled an event on September 15.

    While the Android manufacturers fight it out for market share, Apple will also be releasing its new iPad and iPad mini device this fall. The tech company is holding an event on September 10, and is expected to at least reveal, if not release, its new iPads on that day.

    Beyond the third and holiday quarters of 2013, some interesting things are on the horizon for the tablet market. Wearable computing is expected to become a large segment, meaning companion apps for tablets are likely. Both Apple and Samsung are also rumored to be working pioneering the mega-tablet market – tablets with screens larger than one foot.

    (Image courtesy PC Today Thailand)

    (via DigiTimes)

  • Amazon Appstore Now Accepting HTML5 App Submissions

    Do you go native or HTML5? It’s a question that’s becoming increasingly harder to answer as HTML5 flourishes into a mature platform. There are still a lot of advantages to going native, but HTML5 requires you build an app only once and it works across a number of devices. You can now add the Kindle Fire to those devices.

    Amazon announced today that it’s now accepting submissions of HTML5 apps and mobile optimized Web sites. These apps will be sold alongside native apps on the Amazon Appstore for both Kindle Fire and the Amazon Appstore for Android.

    To start, Amazon has opened up a new section on its developer portal called Amazon Web App Resources. The Web site not only includes the tools needed to monetize your Web apps, but it also includes what it calls the Web App Tester. This tool will allow you to test your app to make sure it runs smoothly on both the Kindle Fire and Android devices. You can grab it for free here.

    Of course, all of this wouldn’t be possible without updates to the Kindle Fire in the form of a new Web runtime based on Google’s Chromium project. This allows for GPU accelerated graphics performance in HTML5 apps so that your Web apps will have nearly native performance. You can read up on the new Web runtime here.

    So, how easy is it to submit a Web app? Amazon says you just need to sign in to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal, go to My Apps and choose “Submit a New Web App.” It’s a simple as that, but you can check out some more information here if you need help.

  • Tablet Sales to Pick Up Later This Year, Shows Analyst Survey

    It’s taken only a few short years since the debut of the iPhone for U.S. smartphone adoption to begin to slow, and now it appears that tablets are saturating the U.S. market just as fast.

    The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) this week revealed its market research outlook for the tablet market in the coming quarter. The report shows that 41% of “online U.S. consumers” already own a tablet. A further 40% intend to purchase a tablet within the next two years, and 72% plan to purchase a tablet at some point.

    Many U.S. consumers appear to be waiting until the fall to make their tablet purchases, though. New tablet lineups from Amazon and Apple are expected for the holiday season. Google just this month unveiled its refreshed Nexus 7 tablet.

    “Tablets faced a relatively stagnant second quarter in 2013, after several consecutive quarters of strong growth,” said Kevin Tillmann, a senior research analyst at CEA. “However, an increase in consumers’ purchase intent indicates optimism. Many consumers are waiting for the next generation of models to upgrade their existing devices.”

    The CEA report also covered how U.S. consumers are using their tablets. Gaming has now surpassed social networking as the top tablet activity. Watching movies and messaging were the second and third most popular tablet pastimes, with social networking and shopping also making the top five.

    “With nearly half of U.S. households expected to own a tablet in the next 12 to 18 months, tablets are undeniably impacting how consumers view and enjoy digital content,” said Tillmann. “As we move through 2013, anticipation runs high this year for the next wave of tablets to include new and innovative features. Striking the right chord with consumers’ expectations will be imperative to resuming the growth trends we’ve seen prior to this quarter’s purchase stagnation.”

  • Amazon To Launch Three New Kindle Fires This Year [Rumor]

    It’s another year and that means another Kindle Fire. It doesn’t look like Amazon will be introducing any new models this year, but it will be substantially upgrading all three of its current models though.

    BGR reports that it has learned Amazon will be upgrading the displays on the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″. With this latest rumored upgrade, Amazon will finally have HD displays in all of its Kindle Fire models.

    First up is the current $159 Kindle Fire. Amazon released an improved version last year, but it still had a measly 1024×600 display resolution. The company will be fixing that this year by using a 7-inch 1,280×800 display – the same display resolution seen in last year’s Nexus 7. The tablet is also expected to remain the low cost option, but it remains to be seen if the price will remain at $159.

    Moving onto last year’s new models, the Kindle Fire HD will be received a pretty substantial upgrade. The current model only sports a display resolution of 1280×800, but the new one will reportedly have a 1920×1200 display resolution. It’s a solid resolution for a 7-inch tablet, and one that the new Nexus 7 will probably also sport.

    The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is geting the biggest upgrade as it’s moving from a 1920×1200 display resolution to a 2560×1600 resolution. At only 8.9-inches, Amazon’s Kindle Fire 8.9″ will be the smallest tablet to features such a large resolution. In fact, most current 10-inch tablets can’t match that display, with Google’s Nexus 10 being its only current contemporary.

    As for general design, the rumors state that the new Kindle Fires will feature a more “chiseled” design with sharp, instead of round, corners. The power and volume buttons have also been moved from the side to the top sloping back to avoid accidental button presses.

    So, when can we expect the new Kindle Fires to start hitting stores? It’s currently rumored that Amazon is pushing for a September launch. The original Kindle Fire was announced and launched in September of last year so it makes sense to look forward to a similar scenario this year.

    It should be noted that all of this is merely speculation for now, but it does seem highly plausible. We also might just hear something about the oft-rumored Kindle Phone this year, but that’s far less likely than the above rumors.

  • Kindle Fire Gets Amazon Coins, Amazon’s Virtual Currency

    Back in February, Amazon announced that Amazon Coins, its new virtual currency, would be coming to Kindle Fire devices in May. It’s May, and today, the company announced that the currency is now available.

    Customers can now start using the currency in any app from the Amazon Appstore.

    To celebrate, the company is giving away 500 free coins to all Kindle Fire customers in the U.S. This is the equivalent of $5. The coins are being automatically deposited in users’ accounts.

    “Today we are giving Kindle Fire owners $5 worth of Coins to spend on new apps and games, or to purchase in-app items, such as recipes in iCookbook, song collections in SongPop or mighty falcon bundles in Angry Birds Star Wars. And with discounts of up to 10% when you buy Coins, this is a great way for customers to save money when they buy apps, games and in-app items,” said Mike George, Vice President of Apps and Games at Amazon. “We will continue to add more ways to earn and spend Coins on a wider range of content and activities—today is Day One for Coins.”

    Developers will continue to earn the standard 70% revenue share, and Amazon will continue to support real currency as well. Amazon is encouraging the use of Amazon Coins, however, by letting customers get discounts of up to 10%.

  • Amazon Plans To Launch Kindle Phone In Q2 2013 [Rumor]

    We can probably expect a new Kindle tablet or eReader this year, but we can’t be so sure about a Kindle Phone. A few rumors have pointed to the company working on such a device, but there’s been nothing concrete yet. The latest rumors continue that trend with some wild speculation regarding the device.

    Digitimes reports that Amazon is prepping a 4.7-inch Kindle Phone for release in the second quarter of this year. If true, that puts the launch at some point between the beginning of April and the end of June. For a product that we haven’t even see yet, it seems highly unlikely.

    Digitimes’ sources address the unlikelihood of a second quarter release by saying that Amazon is only hoping to launch by then. The company may very well have to push the launch back as production progress has reportedly “not been as smooth as expected.”

    Another potential reason for the delay is that Amazon has recently changed the display size of the device. The Kindle Phone was originally going to sport a 4.3-inch display, but Amazon upped it to a 4.7-inch display after “witnessing increased demand for larger size screens among consumers.”

    It will be interesting to see the reception to a Kindle phone if the rumors are true. People use tablets, and by extension the Kindle Fire, to consume content. Smartphones are a somewhat different beast as the focus is placed instead on communication and sharing. Amazon has an inviting content ecosystem that’s easy to sell in a tablet, but it may be a bit harder to sell that experience to those looking fora smartphone.

    [h/t: Cult of Android]